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Dan Snyder Says He Will Never Change Washington Redskins' Controversial Name

Rob Goldberg@TheRobGoldbergX.com LogoFeatured ColumnistMay 9, 2013

There has been plenty of debate recently about whether the Washington Redskins will change their controversial name. However, team owner Daniel Snyder expects things to remain the same. 

We will never change the name of the team. As a lifelong Redskins fan, and I think that the Redskins fans understand the great tradition and what it's all about and what it means, so we feel pretty fortunate to be just working on next season.

We'll never change the name. It's that simple. NEVER—you can use caps.

The emphatic nature of the statement is certain to offer encouragement to fans looking to maintain the organization's long tradition. The Redskins have used this moniker since 1933. 

While this debate has been going on for decades, it has resurfaced this offseason after a group of Native Americans recently took to the courts to bring about a resolution (via Sporting News).

At-large Washington D.C. council member David Grosso has been one of the more vocal opponents of the current name, calling it “racist and derogatory.” He suggested a change to the “Redtails” to honor the Tuskegee Airmen.

However, this does not seem to represent the mindset of the general public.

According to ESPN.com, a recent national poll showed that 79 percent of Americans do not feel like the team needs to take on a new nickname. Only 11 percent of both football fans and non-football fans thought that there should be a change.

The NFL team itself has embarked on a campaign to defend the mascot on its official website, listing the various high schools who also adopted the name.

Ultimately, this is an issue that will not go away anytime soon. Even with Snyder attempting to put an end to the argument, this is certain to remain a hot-button topic until an official resolution is agreed upon.